Friday, December 25, 2009

Eliza R. Snow Believed in Santa Claus

Remember your time-honor'd laws,
Kind master of the merry glee:
Prepare your gifts, good Santa Claus,
And hang them on the Christmas tree.


And where no Christmas trees are found,
With liberal hand your gifts distill;
The bags and stockings hanging round,
Great Santa Claus, be sure to fill.

Untie your purse--enlarge your heart--
O, do not pass one single door;
And in your gen'rous walk impart
Your comforts to the sick and poor.

When eyes are watching for the morn,
In humble hut and cottage too;
How disappointed and forlorn,
If missed, dear Santa Claus, by you.

Go all the rounds of baby-hood,
And bless and cheer the hearts of all
The "little folks," and please be good
To those who're not so very small.

~Eliza R. Snow, Dec 1868

I'm taking this poem from my new book, "Eliza R. Snow, the Complete Poetry." It's 1290 pages. Whew!! I cannot believe how prolific she was. Dedicated to those who didn't get anything under the tree this year. :(

1 comment:

John Gustav-Wrathall said...

Wow... One of the best and most pious portraits of old Saint Nick I've ever seen.

The poem actually kind of inspires you to pay attention to everyone in the community, and be there for the less fortunate. After all, if Santa doesn't show in the homes of the poor, what does that say about Santa's helpers (us)?